Sick
by Akane Konae
Summary: ONESHOT Lisa becomes sick after using her Life to save everyone once again with the Kigen Dragon. To add to her troubles, the Earl has sent Herba to attack everyone! What is she to do? Takes place during “Kigen Dragon”. LisaKaze


Well, guys, here's a little one-shot that came to me like a punch to the stomach! I was bored, so I wrote this! Hope you guys like it! (I actually got the idea because I'm sick right now and was thinking about FF: U, lol.)

Summary: Lisa becomes sick after using her Life to save everyone once again with the Kigen Dragon. To add to her troubles, the Earl has sent Herba to attack everyone! What is she to do? Takes place during "Kigen Dragon".

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Sick

_Spirit of the Rushing Water,_ Lisa thought to herself, preparing to use her Kigen Arts, _I will transform my life into spiritual energy._ Lisa spread out her arms and let her soul carry her away. She felt it leave her body and begin to change into the powerful "Kigen Dragon", as Ai and Yu had dubbed it.

"Lisa!" She heard the shouts from the children and felt the tears well up in her eyes. She had made it so far with them on their journey to find their parents in Wonderland; now, she had failed them, failed in her mission to find the Hayakawas. She just hoped that somehow they would be able to survive in the unknown parts of Wonderland and live happily ever after with their parents.

Mentally, she guided her Kigen Dragon and wrapped its body around _Jane_, Cid's submarine. She had to be quick and get them out of the Ocean Puzzle cube before it flooded with water. She growled as she remembered how Somosan had deceived them so easily with that quiz. Knave and Miles had lost their lives trying to answer riddles, their efforts in vain.

_-----Moments Ago-----_

"_Come on, Knave, you gotta get this one," Miles coaxed the commander of the Comodeen._

"_Just hang in there," Lisa added. Lisa knew these riddles were unfair, that no regular person in Wonderland would know these, but they had to try and buy everyone some time to escape._

"_For the third question," Knave muttered, "I will use all of the knowledge I have attained in Wonderland to solve it!"_

_Somosan smirked. "Now for the third and final question: This living creature runs on land, but its feet never touch the ground. What is it?"_

_Knave pondered to himself; it could've been a car, but not in Wonderland. Then, he hit something._

"_I've got it! It's Wonderland's incredibly fast animal, the Bicharing!"_

_Somosan was grinning from ear to ear. "Incorrect! The correct answer is the driver of an automobile."_

_Knave stared, defeated, at the humongous mermaid. Then, without warning, he exploded into a puddle of colored water._

"_Knave, no!" Miles and Lisa cried._

_Somosan laughed. "Oops. I forgot to tell you that whoever answers all three questions incorrectly will turn into a puddle of water just like that!"_

_-----Present-----_

There had never been any answers to the riddles, just deceit to try and throw them all off. But even so, when Lisa had discovered the mermaid's trickery (with Kaze's help, of course), they would not get out alive, as the mermaid flooded the cube, using the last of her power to bring them down with her. Lisa had no other choice if she wanted to save everyone she cared for, and so here she was.

_I'm sorry,_ Lisa thought to herself as she fell with the rushing water back into the cube, _Ai…Yu…I thought I would be able to help you until you were united with your parents, but…I'm sorry…so sorry,_ Lisa tightly shut her eyes and prepared for the inevitable. Just before she faded into unconsciousness, she felt a warm something grab her hand, and then everything blacked out.

-----

Lisa slowly opened her eyes to a bright light. Ai, Yu, and everyone else surrounded her with huge smiles planted on their faces.

"Lisa!" the children jeered. Lisa blinked and looked to her right. Miles!

"Thanks to you, we came back to life," Miles explained with a smile.

"Oh, Lisa!" Ai cried and hugged her friend tightly. Though Lisa was glad everyone was alright, how in the world was she still alive?

"I'm…still alive? Even though I used the spirit of my life…," Lisa muttered her voice hoarse.

"It probably reacted with the water," Cid explained, "and mixing with the water of Wonderland gave birth to a _huge_ energy source."

"It was just like a Beast Summons!" Yu exclaimed enthusiastically.

"If it comes from you, can we call it a Kigen Dragon?" Ai asked. Lisa gazed from each child and immense relief flooded through her.

"I'm just so glad that you're all ok!" Lisa exclaimed and hugged the twins.

"We have you to thank," Knave added. Lisa smiled and laughed, slightly embarrassed.

"What? Is that a laugh I see?" Miles grinned. "See? I knew you could do it. This is what a real laugh is," Miles laughed. "Looks much better on you."

"Thanks," Lisa said and blushed slightly. Then a thought suddenly struck her. "And Kaze?"

"He's here with us," Yu told her.

"Look, he's sitting right over there," Ai pointed behind them. Kaze glanced over at her from behind his crimson bangs for only a moment before her turned away, getting more comfortable against the wall of the submarine. Lisa relaxed and smiled, knowing now that everyone was ok. If he wasn't such a loner, she would have gotten up and walked over to him to give him a bug hug of thanks for helping her out earlier.

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A/N: Just as a little side note, this is where the episode ends and my part of the story begins. What happened before I copied exactly word for word, so I don't own anything!

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Suddenly, Lisa went into a coughing fit and everyone scrambled around her.

"Lisa! Lisa, are you alright?" the twins asked. Miles patted her back to help her cough up whatever her body was trying to get rid of. She raised her hand to Lisa's forehead and felt her skin.

"She's burning up," she muttered. "Someone get me a bucket of water and a cloth! And some food for her!" She ordered and the crew members of the Comodeen began to scurry about.

Lisa's vision began to blur and the world around her began to spin. The nauseous feeling grew to enormous proportions, and just as she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she fainted once again into blackness.

-----

Lisa woke up once again to a bright light. She slowly sat up and scanned the room she was in. She was in one of the nurseries. She could tell because the bed was covered in all white sheets and covers and was extremely comfortable. A tray of hot cocoa sat by her feet and she smiled. Her friends definitely knew how to make her feel better.

Lisa attempted to get out of bed. With one shaky leg she lifted herself over the bed's edge. She stood slowly and her world began to spin slightly, her legs wobbly like jell-o. She gripped her head and waited for the dizziness to pass before she ventured outside into the hallways of _Jane_.

Fortunately, no one was walking around near her room, so she decided to find the twins so they wouldn't worry. She limped down the hallway as best she could and ended up in the control room.

Cid was up in his post, directing Jane's path around the sea of the Ocean Puzzle. Knave and some other crew members were trying to help with other technical stats of the sub, making sure her engines were working correctly and other important things.

One of the covered crew member whistled for the commander. "What is it?" Knave inquired. The sailor point to something on his screen and Knave paled. "Cid, there's some energy coming this way!"

"What?" Cid glanced behind him at the commander, but before anyone could do anything, the sub was hit with whatever was out there.

"Ah!" Everyone shouted.

"Lisa!" Cid shouted upon hearing Lisa's scream. The sub continued to shake more furiously and Cid turned back around to try and steady it. A blinding light surrounded them. After the light subsided and the shaking ceased, Lisa walked over to the window, groaning.

"Where are we?" She gasped. All she could se outside was an endless sea of grass.

"What happened?" Ai, Yu, and Miles appeared at the doorway. "Lisa, you're awake!" the twins cheered and rushed over to hug her.

"Good morning, guys," Lisa greeted.

"What happened?" Miles asked.

"It looks like we were teleported to another part of the puzzle," Cid explained.

"And it looks like we landed in a meadow," Knave added, pointing out the obvious.

"Let's go check it out," Lisa suggested. Knave, Cid, and Miles stared at her like she had grown two extra heads. "What?"

"Are you sure you are up to that? I mean," Miles walked up to her and checked her forehead again, "you are still as hot as a chili pepper."

"I'm fine," Lisa waved her hand away. "All we need to do is figure out what problem we need to solve, and solve it!" Lisa tried to give them a reassuring smile. They all exchanged worried glances, but prepared to investigate the outside anyway.

"Lisa," Knave called as Lisa and the twins were about to exit the submarine. Ai and Yu followed Miles and Fungo outside, leaving Lisa behind with Knave.

"What is it, Knave?" Knave gazed at her with true concern, making Lisa feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Lisa," he reiterated, "Are you sure you are feeling alright? You seemed to have used up a lot of your energy saving us all in that last battle a couple of days ago." A couple of _days_ ago? How long had she been unconscious?

"Don't worry; I'm _fine_," Lisa reassured him. She smiled and followed everyone else outside.

The field of grass seemed as harmless as ever. The swaying green seemed to go on for an eternity in all directions. It didn't seem as though there was anything to solve in this cube. The whole field seemed void of any life. Lisa couldn't sense any human spirits, or any other creature for that matter. Just grass, air, and soil.

"This place doesn't seem dangerous at all," Ai stated.

"Yeah, you're right, sis. The only thing we'd probably have to worry about is the little bugs crawling around in the dirt," Yu joked.

"What? Bugs! AHHH!" Ai shrieked and started running in a random direction. Yu laughed at his sister's antics, Chobi the Chocobo right by his side, grazing and oblivious to what was happening. Well, a guy's gotta eat, you know!

"Yu, you are going to get it!" Ai yelled and began to chase her brother around. Lisa smiled and chuckled softly.

Fungo was eating the ground not to far away. A shiver crept up his spine and he said through a mouthful of grass and dirt, "Guys, I've got a really bad feeling about all this."

Lisa glanced quizzically at him. She didn't sense anything evil about this place, so what was wrong?

A gigantic shadow crept over their party, passing over them with speed. Lisa glanced up. A flying ship of Gaudium was its source. Her eye's widened in terror.

"Look! It's one of the Earl's henchmen!" Ai shouted in a shaky voice.

She should have sensed them coming, so why didn't she? Maybe her illness had taken a bigger toll on her than she first thought.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here!" A familiar high-pitched voice called out. A green, woman-like creature was visible from an open door on the ship. A giant pink flower stood next to her, staring hungrily at the party below.

"Ai, Yu, get inside!" Lisa ordered the twins. Not needing to be told twice, the kids rushed back onto the submarine.

Lisa had no idea how she was going to battle her, especially as weak as she was, but she had to protect the kids. She had a mission to complete, and she had to keep them alive until they could be reunited with their parents. Fortunately, Lisa was spared the moment of thinking up a plan of attack as the Comodeen prepared to fire.

"Ok, everyone get ready to fire!" Miles' voice boomed. The cloaked crew lined up all around the sub's edges, holding foot-long bamboo straws to where Lisa thought their mouth would be. "Now take a deep breath…"Miles ordered next, "And FIRE!"

The crew blew through the straws as hard as they could, sending speeding bullets towards Herba and her ship. Lisa knew their attempt would be in vain, and was proved correct as the ship kept hovering above them and began to descend.

"It didn't work!" Miles gasped.

Lisa was thinking, desperate for some way to defeat her. Herba began to cackle as tens of tiny flower creature spilled out of the bottom of the spherical ship. Grunting, they charged and formed a circle around them, leaving no means of escape.

"Say hello to my HugHug babies!" Herba called out cheerfully. "They're hungry, and you are on the menu for today! Now, my HugHug-babies go and have some lunch! But leave the cute one for my big HugHug, got that?"

On command, five of the HugHugs charged forward. Lisa closed her eyes and focused, reading the spirits of their souls and of the air around them. Holding her hands together in front of her, the familiar aura of her Kigen Arts surrounded her, ready to be released.

"Kigen," Lisa muttered and held her hands out in front of her. The spirits created a sort of barrier and prevented the HugHugs from coming closer and sent them flying backwards.

"Yay, you did it, Lisa!" Yu cheered. Lisa would have smiled, but she felt too exhausted. That one small attack had drained most of her energy, and she didn't know how much longer she would be able to go on.

The five she had sent away exploded. The remaining others watched in horror, then that feeling turned to anger and they all turned on her. Advancing slowly, Lisa didn't know what to do. She couldn't fight them all at once, even at her full strength. What was she going to do?

One of the HugHugs stood in front of her. She gazed, terrified at it, and her whole life flashed before her eyes. She would have taken care of these monsters using the spirit of her Life once again, but she didn't have the strength to call upon it.

Grinning evilly and drooling, the HugHug crouched and pounced. Lisa prepared for the worst and shut her eyes tightly.

"LISA!" She heard the twins cry. Her eyes pooled with tears that trailed down her cheeks like rivers. She had failed the twins yet again. She had failed in her mission, failed once again to protect them, and failed herself. Her Kigen Arts were her only means to survive, and that hadn't been enough.

An ear-piercing scream and a blinding flash of white light, Lisa thought she had died and her soul was rushing to follow the white light to the heavens above. Then she felt it. She felt the ground beneath her still quivering slightly as the HugHugs moved about. She still heard the screams and cries from the twins and the Comodeen.

Lisa dared to sneak a peek and opened one eye. She came face to face with a black cloak. Confused, she gazed up and saw that back of a crimson-haired head.

"It's Mister!" Ai called out in surprise. She wasn't the only one, however.

"Well, what do ya know—it's the Magun-baby!" Herba squealed in delight.

"Kaze?" Lisa muttered. Kaze glanced back at her for a moment, and then returned his attention back to the battle.

"Stay behind me," he ordered. Lisa nodded and remained where she was. What else could she do, anyways? She was too weak to even move!

"Now, my HugHug-babies…get him!" Herba commanded. The flower creatures closed in tighter around them. Kaze held out his red shotgun, ready to shoot.

_What is he going to do? He can't hold all of them off with that,_ Lisa thought to herself. Kaze seemed to realize that fact as well, because he glanced behind him at her and the rest of the monsters.

The HugHugs, glared at them, then they crouched and pounced.

"Kaze! Lisa!" She heard Yu shout. Lisa thought they would be eaten and done for this time, but then she heard Kaze mutter something.

"It moved." Lisa's eyes widened. The Magun came to life! It was amazing the power that the children had.

"Soil is my power!" Kaze shouted and held the Magun to his chest, allowing the drillers to spin rapidly. The chain reaction was set off, and the Magun began to thaw.

The closest HugHugs were sent flying from the sheer force of the Magun's transformation. The others back away slightly in terror.

"The Magun…has thawed," Kaze announced and held the golden gun out, ready to shoot.

"Hurry and get him before he shoots!" Herba ordered, slightly anxious. The HugHugs were hesitant to go into battle now, seeing the power of a simple transformation by the gun; however, as they were being controlled by Herba, they slowly advanced.

"The soil charge triad to use against you has been decided," Kaze announced. The three slots for the Soil bullets opened ready to be loaded.

First, Kaze pulled out a golden bullet with dark grey Soil. "Grinding and devouring rocks, Sharp Grey." He flicked it in the air and it fell gracefully into the first slot. Next, Lisa watched as he pulled out a bullet with a cerulean blue Soil from his belt. "The soil that drinks thirst, Water Blue." Once again he flicked it in the air and it fell into its rightful slot. Only one more bullet was needed. He pulled out the final bullet, which was pure white in color. "That which can even feed on empty space, Crusher White."

With all three bullets in place, the Magun's heart, Kaze's heart, began to thump at a phenomenal rate, gathering energy to fire the bullets. The huge golden driller spun around rapidly, and soon it was ready to fire.

"Roar, I summon you…Bismark!" Kaze yelled and fired the Magun. A thick fog of dark smoke erupted from the bullet holes. Soon, the smoke began to swirl as the Soil magic twirled upwards and combined to form the Beast Summons. A giant pillar of rushing water erupted form the sky, and in the heart of it all, a giant blue whale sang out. The led the water towards Herba's ship.

"Ahh!" The flower lady screamed as she and her ship drowned in the powerful jet of water. The ship was sent flying and disappeared in the sky. Its job done, the blue whale flew up in the sky, the pillar of water rising and disappearing with it.

"What incredible energy," Lisa awed. No matter how many times she saw Kaze fire his Magun, it never ceased to amaze her.

Kaze turned to her, and her breath caught in her throat. The Magun had transformed back to its usual form and rested against his leg. His cerulean eyes gazed down at her. As she stared into their depths, she could see concern in them and blushed slightly.

"Let's go. We should be moving on to the next cube soon," Kaze told her. Lisa lifted herself to her feet uncertainly, not exactly trusting her legs to hold up her body just yet. She wobbled slightly, but otherwise was able to stand. She took a step forward and her vision began to blur. Her legs turned to jell-o and gave in to her weight. She braced herself to fall on the ground, but was caught by a powerful arm around her waist. She followed the arm and was met with deep, cerulean orbs. If Lisa wasn't blushing before, she sure was now.

Kaze steadied her on her feet. He made sure she was able to stand on her own before walking back to the submarine. Lisa trailed on his heels.

"Thanks, Kaze," she muttered, "for saving me back there." Lisa gazed up at him and gasped slightly. She could have sworn she saw his gaze soften a bit, but it had returned to its normal stoic self before she could look again.

Kaze didn't answer her, but she didn't expect him to. Instead she smiled. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she saw that moment of emotion flash in his eyes. She was finally getting through to him!

Lisa smiled at him. Lisa was glad she walked on his left side as she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She noticed his body tense up and frowned. As she was about to get off him, she felt an arm circle her waist and hold her close to him. She blushed furiously, but at that moment, she didn't care. All she thought was that he was finally accepting her and opening up. Relishing in his heat, she closed her eyes, thinking of what may await them in the next cube. She didn't know what would happen or what dangers they may face—

_But at least Kaze will be there,_ Lisa finished.

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A/N: Ok, I'm done! My first one-shot is finally finished! And it's the only thing I've completed! Lol.

I hope you guys like this. It's my first FF: U story, so be kinda nice! And don't worry. I'm going to write a full FF: U story along with a sequel, and I might even make a trilogy out of it.

Now please review!

And one more thing. Does anyone know what the hell Final Fantasy: After Spiral is? I've heard it mentioned in a couple of stories I've read. Is it someone's story on here? Is it the anime sequel to FF: U? Tell me! Pweese/puppy dog eyes/


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